A chance for redemption

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

It’s something many Generals fans still don’t like to talk about.

Last season, the Oshawa Generals looked well on their way to winning the Eastern Conference final after swatting off their first two opponents – the Mississauga Steelheads and Peterborough Petes – with a pair of sweeps.

There was a third sweep, but it came from the North Bay Battalion, dousing the flaming hope of Gens’ fans for a Memorial Cup run.

Now, a year later, Oshawa has its chance at redemption.

After eliminating the Niagara IceDogs in five games, the Gens will once again square off against the Battalion in the conference final.

A 4-2 win over the IceDogs on April 17 sealed the deal for the Generals.

“That’s a real good hockey team we just beat,” says head coach DJ Smith. “They stayed with us right until the end.”

Smith credited solid defense and the play of goaltender Kenny Appleby for the series win.

“He’s the guy that’s going to carry this team and he’s done it all year,” Smith says of Appleby.

Captain Josh Brown and partner Will Petschenig also received praise from their coach.

“As we play these bigger teams, we’re going to need the bigger D, and I think Will and Brownie ate up a lot of minutes tonight,” Smith says following the win.

The victory was carried on the back of Cole Cassels, who tallied a hat trick along with an assist in the game.

“It’s a big game by a big player for us and this time of year, that’s what you need. You’re going to need special performances,” Smith says.

Working off the success in last year’s playoffs, Smith has Cassels and Michael Dal Colle skating side-by-side once again. Motivated by a five-point game by Dal Colle in Game 4, Cassels says the game was one of the biggest of his career so far. He adds that he’s received more than a little help from Dal Colle.

“He’s one of the best players in the league – if not the best – so we build off of him and I thought it was my turn to try and take a game over and I was lucky enough to do that with the help of (Dal Colle),” he says.

He also says the team is looking forward to a rematch with North Bay.

“They’re a playoff team…they’re a big team like us, so it will be a fun series and we owe them something from last year and I think all 20 of us will buy in for that,” Cassels says.

The same was said by Hunter Smith, who says the Generals may have gotten a little ahead of themselves last season, but the tough fought playoff wins this season will go a long way in the final.

“Last year, I think we went to the final after two sweeps, we were a little bit too cocky, so I think that’s all going to help,” Hunter says.

The first game against North Bay will hit the General Motors Centre on April 24 with the puck dropping at 7:35 p.m.